Big surge in obesity related surgery a weighty wake up call for Australia
Release date: September 20th, 2007
Australia's losing battle with the obesity epidemic is translating into a major increase in health insurance claims for weight reducing surgical procedures.
Private health insurer MBF today released claims data that showed the number of obesity related operations for which it provided benefits more than doubled during the past five years.
In 2002, MBF covered 459 obesity related procedures with most of these operations involving gastric banding to achieve weight loss by limiting capacity for food intake.
But by last year claims for the number of obesity related procedures had increased to 1,102 following a steady increase in the number of these operations from year to year. Hospital benefits alone for obesity related procedures nearly tripled from $2.4 million in 2002 to $6.9 million in 2006.
MBF Chief Medical Officer, Dr Christine Bennett, said the significant increase in obesity related procedures was further evidence of Australia's continuing battle with weight related health problems.
"We expect the number of obesity related procedures to keep increasing in coming years based on current experience and Australia's continuing problem with weight gain and its associated health risks," Dr Bennett said.
"Our statistics provide only part of the obesity health picture because, in a big majority of cases, patients who undergo these procedures also have other very serious health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
"People who are obese are at greater risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, sleep apnoea, heart disease and stroke. All the research tells us that weight reduction is vital and that weight loss can lead to significant health benefits."
The MBF claims data showed that:
- 80% of the patients admitted for obesity related procedures in 2006 were women.
- People aged 40-49 years are the most common age group for these procedures.
- An increasing number of people aged 60-69 have undergone obesity related procedures rising from 30 in 2002 to 117 in 2006.
According to guidelines from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), to be eligible for gastric banding, patients must be aged 18 or over, have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more, or a BMI of 35-40 combined with a recognised complicating condition. They should also have previously attempted non-surgical weight loss.
